I Will Reach You
by Miss Magic 101
Summary: Set during the Battle of Hogwarts as Neville frantically searches for Luna remembering the four words they've promised each other in the past - 'I Will Reach You' - four words which sum up their friendship and love for each other. What happens when Neville saves Luna? Will they confess their feelings. Rated M to be safe. ONE SHOT


**Hi everyone! I'm back with another Neville/Luna story. I ship these two so hard, how they didn't end up together I'll never know, but in my mind they are perfect for each other.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter; this belongs to JK Rowling.  
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**Enjoy!**

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**I Will Reach You**

It had always been the two of them against the world; Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood together, best friends bringing a little more chaos and belief into the world, especially over the last year with the darkness that had taken over Hogwarts. Their friendship had always been strange to those on the outside of it, but to them it made perfect sense; they had always been the outcasts, the ones people passed by because they were different, but they had found solace in each other and their friendship had blossomed quickly from that chance meeting on the Hogwarts Express in Neville's fifth year and Luna's fourth year, all the way to the current situation they found themselves in now; fighting the Battle of Hogwarts.

Neville and Luna's friendship had always been symbolised by four simple words – 'I will reach you' – something they had said and proven to each other on countless occasions. Neville had been there for Luna the first time she had cried in front of him when she was engulfed by memories of her mother, and vice versa, Luna had been there for Neville during his darkest moments when he missed his parents. Those four words however had come to fruition in the last frightful year at Hogwarts they had endured together; they had battled the Carrows together, healed each other, saved each other on countless occasions and they knew that they would never let each other down, which to both of them was the most important thing.

The Final Battle of the Second Wizarding War was raging all around Hogwarts, students and staff alike were fighting, some surviving, others succumbing to the pointless death which war always seemed to bring. In the midst of the fighting, right at the centre in the Great Hall there stood a young wizard by the name of Neville Longbottom, who although he was fighting valiantly, felt that his thoughts were elsewhere; particularly with a certain blonde haired young witch who had captured his mind and heart a long time ago with her unique and whimsical ways. The last time Neville had seen Luna, she had been charging through the crowds of students with Harry, trying to find The Grey Lady and one of Voldemort's horcruxes, and now he couldn't get her out of his mind; in the midst of war, in the face of imminent death, Neville's mind was filled with silvery grey orb-like eyes and vanilla scented perfume, all of which symbolised Luna Lovegood.

Neville and Luna had become extremely close over the last year in particular; they had battled the Carrows together, reformed Dumbledore's Army together and comforted each other in a time with little or no hope. Neville had hugged Luna tightly before she and Harry had run off in search of Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem; he had held her in his arms for a few seconds longer than was necessary, promising her he would see her on the other side, but at the same time wishing they did not have to be parted.

Now however, Neville had not seen Luna in a substantial amount of time, and he was becoming increasingly concerned for her safety and wellbeing as he himself tried to protect his own life so he could get back to his best friend, and as he now realised, the one he loved with all his heart. Neville was lost in his own thoughts and feelings of guilt as he battled the Death Eaters around him; guilt that he had never asked Luna if she had to leave his side, guilt that if she died he had failed to protect her and also a desperate longing to tell her exactly how he felt about her.

"Harry!"yelled Neville as his friend of seven years came hurtling down the stairs, closely followed by Ginny.

"Neville!" called Harry, running over to him "are you all right?"

"Never better!" said Neville, who suddenly felt a surge of courage run though him "I feel like I could spit fire, you haven't seen Luna have you?"

"Luna?" asked Harry mystified, while Ginny looked on with a knowing smile "no, why?"

"I'm mad for her!" shouted Neville "I think it's about time I told her seeing as we'll both probably be dead by dawn!"

Not waiting for Harry to react, Neville took off at a run, thinking of nothing but Luna as he sprinted towards the Ravenclaw Common Room; he didn't know if Luna was still there, but this seemed to be a logical place to start, and was the only lead he had about his beloved Luna's whereabouts. As Neville pounded his way up the various staircases and around the corridors of Hogwarts he realised how lucky he was to avoid any curses hitting him; he had to duck to his knees a few times but overall he ended up running through battles, dodging spells, coming out relatively unscathed, apart from a few minor cuts and bruises. This, in itself was a miracle and Neville hoped that maybe his safety wouldn't be the only miracle that night.

Luna had always been Neville's reason for fighting as hard as he had done throughout the last year when Hogwarts had been so violently and quickly taken over by some of Voldemort's most fearsome Death Eaters. Every day, Neville looked to Luna for inspiration; she didn't know it, but Luna's smile was enough to fill Neville's heart with self-belief, enough of a light in the darkest of times to push Neville to fight for survival when sometimes he simply felt like giving up. The light and power that Luna gave him, was all Neville was focusing on at the moment; her ever optimistic nature filling him with hope at a time when those around him were losing all the belief they had ever possessed. Neville and Luna's friendship had always been like this, they had struggled to believe in themselves when they were alone, but together, or with memories of each other fuelling them, they were unstoppable, invincible.

A touch from Luna was often all Neville needed when he had lost hope in the past and it was the thought of holding her in his arms again that spurred him on, despite the physical pain he was in, thanks to having previously fallen over some rubble and potentially dislocating his rib. As Neville wracked his brain to give him a memory to spur him on and give him hope that he would find Luna alive, his mind fell on the night of his first ever detention with the Carrows. Neville remembered the beating they had inflicted on him like it was yesterday after he had sprayed graffiti around one of the Hogwarts corridors, showing his and his friends' support for Harry, Ron and Hermione. Neville remembered staggering back to the Room of Requirement, hurt and bleeding, much like he was now, but his resolve to rebel still intact strangely enough. Neville had walked through the door and had nearly been knocked off his feet by Luna Lovegood, who he remembered was babbling extremely quickly about how worried she had been about him. Neville had felt heartened that she had waited up for him and he felt even better when she healed all his cuts and told him that he had given her the strength to get through everything. That was the moment, Neville now realised, that he had fallen truly in love with the blonde girl with orb-like eyes and the most unique personality he had ever encountered. All Neville knew, from that moment on, and potentially before that, was that Luna gave him a reason to believe, a reason to fight and hope that everything would be all right.

As Neville sprinted through the countless corridors of Hogwarts, frantically yelling Luna's name in fruitless attempts to tell her where he was, he began to see little reminders of her and their friendship everywhere. Neville didn't know if these reminders actually existed at that moment in time, or whether they were simply figments of his own stressed and hurt imagination, but all he was sure of was that they were there to remind him that he missed Luna more than anything and he simply had to find her to make his world complete. Neville sprinted through countless corridors in a daze, and all he noted was that he saw Luna's mane of blonde hair all around him and her grey eyes reflecting of glass surface available, even the smallest shards of broken windows. Neville even thought he could hear Luna's dreamy voice whispering to him in the breeze, which came into the castle through the shattered windows and broken walls as people ran past him lost in their own battles. However sadly, every time he heard what he thought was Luna; he didn't see her, at least not the real Luna, _his _Luna anyway. Neville had always promised Luna he would reach her when she needed him, before anything hurt her, he would save her. However this time, Neville was worried that he may have to break that most sacred of promises, as finding Luna seemed to be almost impossible in the battle scene before him, and all this served to do was to make Neville miss Luna's presence even more and wonder why exactly he hadn't told her not to leave his side when the Battle of Hogwarts had begun.

Neville was suddenly jolted out of his reverie very abruptly as he was knocked to the side roughly by a student battling two Death Eaters at once. Neville recognised the student as Ginny Weasley and immediately jumped into action to help her as best he could; his thoughts still never leaving the blonde beauty who had captured his heart.

"Stupefy!" yelled Neville, the spell hitting one of the Death Eaters dead in the chest, before he crashed to the floor.

Neville was glad to see some of the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix coming to help Ginny as quickly as they could, picking their way through rubble and dead bodies as they came. The second Death Eater, whom Neville recognised as Yaxley fired a curse towards him, but Neville successfully managed to dodge it, meaning that yet another wall of the legendary castle he called home crumbled to the floor around him as the spell hit it. Yaxley was soon Stunned and incarcerated into submission by the Order members, but all Neville could focus on meanwhile was Luna. He thought about how she would see the destruction of Hogwarts in a completely different way to him; not the destruction of a life he once knew, but the opportunity to grab life with both hands and build a new future, a new identity. Neville also allowed himself a small smile as he sprinted from the scene before him, yelling Luna's name yet again, as he thought about how Luna's first priority in the Battle would have been to save the animals and also the House Elves, who would have found it difficult to fight. Neville knew Luna loved animals; some of which he knew to be real and some of which only she herself could see, however, Neville never made fun of Luna when it came to this, he listened to her theories and over time, had found himself believing in the existence of Nargles, Wrackspurts and Crumple-Homed Snorkacks, among other things. But most of all, however, Neville believed in Luna, her optimism and enthusiasm for life were infectious, and her belief that everything would be all right in the end, no matter what happened and what you had to do to get to that outcome, had kept him going for the last year in particular; in the face of destruction and almost certain death. She was the one thing he believed in, the one constant in his life, always there, shining bright, and he really hoped she was all right.

All of a sudden, when Neville was just beginning to lose hope that he would find Luna, out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of white, blonde hair. Neville once again thought it was his imagination playing cruel tricks on him, but as he blinked again and again, in an effort to rid his eyes of the sudden tears which were threatening to fall, as he caught sight of the girl he loved; Neville was overjoyed to find that the sight in front of him, of sheer blonde hair, which could only belong to Luna, did not go away.

"Luna!" roared Neville, trying to push his way through the thick crowd which separated them.

At the sound of his yell, Neville noticed Luna turn, her big silvery eyes catching his for only a second before she was dragged away by the Death Eater who held her fast in his grasp. Neville tried desperately to push through the crowd once again, seeing the beacon of light that was Luna, as the clearest thing in the world, while everything else blurred in comparison around him.

"Luna!" bellowed Neville in a wounded voice, as his beacon of light and hope retreated, being dragged by a Death Eater, while she fought valiantly against her captor "I will reach you, I promise!"

Neville didn't know if Luna had heard him; he could see her fighting against the Death Eater who was dragging her away and all he wanted to do was to get to her, protect her and hide her away from all the destruction surrounding them, but despite his best efforts, he could only advance slowly, barging his way through the various duels going on around him, and he was forced to watch as Luna's hair, which was like a candle in the darkness, a beacon in the crowd, retreated quickly. Neville found a renewed fight had materialised itself inside him when he had seen Luna however, and working his way through the pain, he knew the only thing he could do if he had any hope of saving Luna and keeping his promise, was to get through the madness surrounding him, with only his thoughts of Luna, and that momentary glance which they had shared as guidance for him in his seemingly endless quest.

Despite having lost sight of his beloved Luna in the rush of Battle, not once but twice, Neville could still feel her presence nearby; he had always been able to, and now was no different. All Neville could simply do was follow his heart and his mind in the direction where Luna had previously been dragged away. Neville continued to yell Luna's name, in between firing curses and jinxes in random directions whenever he came across a threat in the increasingly raucous and worried crowds that surrounded him, but he could feel it, his heart wasn't really in the battle; his heart was with Luna Lovegood, wherever she was, as it always had been.

Even when they first met, way back in Neville's fifth and Luna's fourth year, Neville had always known Luna was special, and she had always had a strange effect on him which he could not explain. Neville had always felt more confident when he was around Luna; his usual stuttering disappeared and he became more jokey and sure of himself. Luna made Neville happy and as he had already established, her airy nature had the ability to make him feel at ease even when he never thought he would smile. Luna had always been the one that Neville had sought out for company during his seventh year at Hogwarts; even if they were both upset by the Carrows' most recent punishments, or feeling very alone, they always seemed to be able to brighten up each others' days no matter what.

Neville could always tell if it was Luna who was approaching him, even if he wasn't facing the direction she was coming from; her unmistakable unique nature, vanilla scented perfume and dreamy voice were always enough to pull Neville out of any sadness he was feeling. Neville always loved spending time with Luna; they had often specifically sought each other out during the past year, given that they knew each other so well and had always been able to sense the other's feelings or presence in a particular place. Neville had always swept Luna into a hug whenever she was near, partly to hear her laugh in surprise, which he thought was the best sound in the world, but partly also due to the fact he just wanted to be close to her in any way possible. The two friends had acted more like boyfriend and girlfriend over the last year than anyone else in Hogwarts, only without the physical affection, and this was something that Neville was aware, had not gone unnoticed by most of their fellow students.

As Neville continued to shove his way through the crowds, following in the direction Luna had gone, while still yelling her name, he once again focussed on how he could always feel her presence around him. It was this, which only served to tell Neville that Luna was all right, at least alive, wherever she was; as the warmth in his heart which usually came about whenever he thought of Luna, had not yet distinguished, so belief that Luna was all right, was all Neville had to focus on. As he continued his search for Luna, Neville allowed his mind to focus on one of the times Luna's presence had been key to his own survival during the last year. Neville had been running as fast as he could, running away from the Carrows, who he thought may have seen him in his latest act of rebellion against the Hogwarts regime. Neville was desperately looking for somewhere to hide, when he found Luna, sitting behind a tapestry of the Four Founders of Hogwarts, talking to herself. Luna had pulled him behind the tapestry he remembered and this meant that, not only did the Carrows not find him, but also that he got to spend some time alone with Luna yet again. Neville credited Luna's presence that night, with saving him from being expelled from Hogwarts and also potentially saving his life, and he also believed that his mind and heart had automatically led him to the tapestry on the fifth floor, which was somewhere he had never been before, because Luna was there, and she was the person Neville wanted to see most of all, as was the case now.

"Luna!" yelled Neville once again, sounding incredibly desperate, as he felt hot tears begin to pour down his cheeks.

Neville frantically swiped at his eyes with the tattered sleeve of his cardigan, knowing that any weakness he showed, even if it was just for a second, could be his downfall and would also stop him from getting to Luna to help her as well. Neville sniffled slightly, just hanging onto the fact he had not long ago seen Luna, and she had been alive, it was just imperative that he got to her as quickly as possible, which explained why he was currently running around the corridors for what felt like the millionth time, shouting until his voice was hoarse for the love of his life.

As Neville ran and ran without any further sights of Luna, all he could do was simply pray that she was all right and that she would give him some kind of sign that she was at least still alive. This was the most important thing to Neville, because if he knew Luna was alive, then he could help her, even if she was hurt, he could still be there, he could still comfort her and heal her injuries; he simply did not want to think of the alternative however. Once again Neville swatted at his watery eyes as he shot a jinx towards a Death Eater who was intimidating a group of first years; pleased when he saw the Death Eater fall in a heap at their feet, allowing the first years to scamper off to find a safe haven in an empty classroom.

"Luna!" roared Neville once again, in yet another desperate attempt to find the missing blonde beauty.

"Neville!" screeched Luna's unmistakable voice, from not far away, terror and sadness evident all in one sound.

"Luna!" Neville bellowed, the bubble of hope renewing itself in his chest as he picked up the pace of his run until he was positively sprinting towards where the shout had emanated from.

Neville heard Luna scream, terrified once again, and he knew deep down that he would never forget the sounds that Luna had made in the pure fear she must have been feeling at that moment. The screams and screeches were so primal and full of fear that she wouldn't survive that Neville knew it was important he got to her as quickly as he could, even if he had to take down Voldemort himself to save her.

Neville continually blasted doors to various classrooms off of their hinges, but to no avail, he just couldn't find Luna anywhere, despite hearing her blood curdling screams all around him and consequently feeling as though his heart was being ripped in two, because he knew Luna was hurting, but that he couldn't do anything about it until he found her. Neville felt as though the light in his life had disappeared because he simply couldn't find Luna, he felt like he had lost all the fight in himself and wondered if he had simply only been imagining Luna's heart breaking screams surrounding him, as if they were haunting and taunting him, perhaps making him believe that something was real when in reality it wasn't.

"Luna!" bellowed Neville, a sob evident in his voice as it ripped through his entire body, almost bringing him to his knees "Luna, please believe me, stay strong, I will find you, I will reach you!"

"Neville!" Luna's voice cried again in that same primal nature as it had done before, tears evident this time, which made Neville sure that he hadn't been imagining Luna's voice in the first place.

Another thing Neville noticed was that Luna's voice seemed to not be far away at all and for that, he was eternally grateful. Neville therefore simply followed the screams, followed his heart, knowing that eventually something would lead him to the place where his beloved Luna was being held, scared, alone and sad, waiting for Neville to come to her rescue, as he had always done in the past. As Neville ran, once again, as fast as his legs would carry him in the direction of Luna's voice he remembered with fondness a time when he had saved Luna, and also he thought about how he wanted to do the same again now.

Luna had been taken by the Death Eaters a couple of months previously, taken as both she and Neville sat on the Hogwarts Express. Neville remembered how she had known it was going to happen and had told him not to fight them when they came, but of course, that had not stopped Neville trying to protect Luna to no avail; the Death Eaters had been too strong and they had fought him back easily, which was something that would play on his mind forever now; he hadn't been able to save Luna from being taken, he hadn't spared her from pain. However, a couple of months later Luna had returned, still her dreamy, airy self. Neville remembered that evening well; she had walked into the Great Hall halfway through dinner, which was shocking enough and made the whole school turn around, resulting in the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables greeting her with tumultuous cheers. Neville meanwhile had shot out of his seat and towards Luna, who was gazing around, slightly dazed by all the fuss, unaware that the Carrows were descending the steps which led to the teacher's table. Neville got to Luna seconds before the Carrows did and steered her out of the Great Hall quickly, glad that she caught onto the danger she was in as they sprinted towards somewhere relatively safe. Soon, when they were no longer being followed by the Carrows, having outrun them, Neville had pulled Luna into an empty classroom, locked the door and then let his emotions take over as he embraced Luna, never wanting to let her go, and Luna had done the same to him. Luna and Neville had been inseparable since then; they had been the light in each other's lives, the person that the other one looked for at every opportunity and each other's strength in an increasingly hostile Hogwarts. It was memories of this time with Luna in particular, which fuelled Neville's legs as he ran towards the blood curdling screams he was hearing in the very corridor he was in at that moment.

"Neville!" screamed Luna's tearful voice, in a louder tone that it had done in the past "please if you can hear me, help!"

Luna's screaming sounded closer than ever, but it still plagued Neville that he was unable to locate her; he felt his heart shatter over and over as he heard the girl he cared about most in the world scream time and time again. All of a sudden, from the nearest classroom to Neville, which had not yet had the door blown in, consistent with both the Battle and Neville's attempts to find Luna, Neville heard a sneer and a menacing chuckle, followed by a whimper and a sob.

"No, please, no," Neville heard Luna's voice cry "no, stop, anything but that!"

Neville felt himself shaking with rage as he steeled himself, pointed his wand at the door, taking a deep breath and summoning all of his Gryffindor courage. This took mere milliseconds, but to Neville, and also Luna; he would discover later, these milliseconds felt like an absolute eternity, that neither of them thought would end.

"Bombarda!" bellowed Neville, watching with a great satisfaction as he knew he would soon find Luna and that her shouts, aura and presence in his own heart, combined with the promise they had made each other long ago and also Neville's courage, had spurred Neville onto his ultimate goal.

Neville stepped through the dust and debris keeping his wand raised, not knowing how many Death Eaters he would find and knowing he would only have seconds, if that, to react to whatever he faced when the dust finally cleared and he could see his opponent, and hopefully Luna as well. As the dust cleared Neville was greeted by a sight he would always remember, a heart breaking sign that would haunt his dreams for the months and years to come. Luna was cowering on the floor in a corner of the classroom, her wand nowhere to be seen. Her beautiful pale face was covered in cuts and two vicious looking black eyes, her hair was matted, her body scratched and bruised and her clothes torn, which only made Neville think that the worst possible thing that could happen to a girl had happened to Luna, which filled him with more rage than he had ever felt before. Next to her stood Fenrir Greyback, his massive, imposing figure towering over Neville, his wand already poised, waiting for a fight, obviously furious at having been disturbed from whatever he was doing to Luna.

"You'll pay for hurting her Greyback!" growled Neville through gritted teeth, as he slowly manoeuvred himself around the room until he was relatively close to Luna, and more importantly, between her and the Death Eater who was still leering at her in a way that made Neville's blood boil.

"Going to kill me are you Longbottom?" sneered Greyback, a toothy smirk touching his features momentarily.

"Death is too good for you," said Neville confidently "you're going to suffer in Azkaban for the rest of your miserable little life."

"Is that so?" asked Greyback, in an almost mocking voice, which Neville could tell, meant that he had let his guard down.

"Stupefy!" roared Neville, not giving the Death Eater time to react at all as he was thrown back into a wall with impressive force before crumpling to the floor "incarcerous!"

Neville was shocked by the power of both of the spells he had just conjured as he made the ropes which had just materialised wrap themselves around Fenrir Greyback's still, crumpled form on the other side of the room. Neville thought that the force of his spells had had something to do with the fact he was focusing on Luna, the person he loved most in the world when he cast them. Luna was the light in Neville's life, the beacon who always stood out above the crowd and Neville believed that it was this, and his love for her, as well as the promise he had made to protect her, that led him to her and enabled him to beat one of the most fearsome Death Eaters in such a way. Once Neville was sure that the Death Eater was sufficiently incapacitated, he took a breath to calm himself down and turned his attention to Luna, who was now his only concern. Neville turned towards Luna and was nearly knocked off his feet as she flew towards him, grasping onto his cardigan and shirt as if they were the only things in the world she could depend on. Neville could feel his shirt already getting wet from Luna's tears as he wrapped his strong arms around her in a protective embrace.

"Luna," breathed Neville, relieved to have her with him at last "it's all right, I've got you, you're safe now."

"You came," sobbed Luna, looking up at Neville with big eyes full of tears "you saved me."

"What did he do to you Luna?" asked Neville urgently, who wasn't sure he was going to like the answer, but knew he had to know "did he…did he force…you to…to…"

"No," said Luna, who was still sobbing audibly, perhaps more out of relief than anything else Neville noted, who was equally glad he had been spared from voicing his deepest fear "no, you got here just in time."

This only made Neville hug Luna tighter, relieved that he had spared her from the worst torture possible. Luna meanwhile continued to cling to Neville, trembling as she did so, desperately searching for comfort and reassurance. Neville couldn't help but notice that once again his cardigan was becoming slightly damp and the girl in his arms was trembling with the combined effects of relief, fear and hurt all at once. Neville carefully ran his hand through Luna's luxurious golden curls, now slightly matted with dirt and blood and also tangled in the hurry of war. However this simple gesture was enough to comfort Luna further, even though she still continued to shake slightly, and Neville simply prayed that she would be all right, and also that no one would find their location

"You came," repeated Luna, her voice sounding slightly stunned and shaken.

"Of course I did," said Neville in a reassuring voice "I knew you were in trouble, I could feel it, somehow I just knew where to go, it took me a while to find you but eventually I did. We promised we would always be there for each other and I wasn't going to break that promise Luna; I told you I would always reach you when you needed me."

All of a sudden Luna did something with shocked both her and Neville in its suddenness; she reached up, standing on her tiptoes and placed her hand on Neville's bruised and dirty cheek, before planting the softest of kisses on his lips that Neville had to question whether or not he had imagined the action. As if reading Neville's mind, Luna pressed a more definite kiss to his lips once again, and then smiled through tears as Neville mirrored her earlier action on her own lips. Neville did not know if it was Luna's current erratic emotional state which had prompted her to kiss him in a kind of 'heat of the moment' action, or whether it was caused by feelings buried deeper inside her heart, much like the feelings in his own. Either way Neville knew, as he stood with Luna in his arms, his cheeks wet with a mixture of her tears, and some of his own, that he loved the feeling of Luna's lips on his own and never wanted to experience this feeling with anyone else.

"Luna," began Neville, suddenly feeling nervous, hoping this was the right time to admit the feeling he had held onto for two whole years "listen Luna, I know this isn't the perfect time to tell you this, but I was also trying to find you to tell you something. You're amazing Luna, I think you're beautiful and I can't imagine my life without you, you're the first true friend I've ever had and every day I spent without you this year was torture. I trust you with my life Luna and now I want to trust you with my heart as well because those kisses make me hopeful you feel the same way; I love you Luna."

"I love you too Neville," said Luna smiling through the unshed tears which misted her eyes "you're so handsome and you're the most heroic person I know, you'll be a hero to everyone now, but you were always my hero and you proved it again tonight. You've always accepted me for who I am and you're the one person I can always come to no matter what, the one person I can depend on. You're the one person I focused on in Malfoy Manor and you're the reason I survived that, because I knew you were waiting for me. I'm so glad those kisses were enough to show you how I felt."

"You know what?" said Neville, smiling for the first time in what felt like forever "if we make it out of here alive I'm going to marry you, I need you in my life Luna."

"I'm not going to leave your side," said Luna smiling, despite the fact Neville could see the tears in her eyes caused by Greyback "stay with me?"

"Always," murmured Neville.

Neville and Luna shared one more kiss, this time one which was slightly more passionate than the others before, however, soon they had no choice but to move due to the fact that Greyback was stirring from the effects of Neville's stunning spell. Neville sensed Luna tense slightly next to him and he grasped her hand in his own as they began to run from the room together, Neville shooting more Stunning spells at Greyback before they left, in a desperate attempt to incapacitate him further.

The Battle going on around them was much different than the Battle Neville and Luna had left behind; instead of countless curses and jinxes being fired in all directions, they were greeted by sheer destruction and the sight of quite a few bodies lying at various strange angles, some burned, some simply still having succumbed to death and others bleeding profusely. Neville inspected some of the bodies, wondering if there were any survivors who were horrible injured, but he had no luck; everyone around Neville and Luna had already greeted death. Neville heard Luna sob beside him and he drew her closer to his chest, not wanting to subject her to the sight of death, keeping his promise that he would ensure her safety, that he would reach her when she needed him.

"Let's go," said Neville, his own voice thick with tears "looks like everyone else is downstairs going into the courtyard."

"Please don't leave me!" said Luna in a slightly panicked voice, obviously affected by everything that had happened, which was only just coming to the forefront of her emotions now.

"I won't, I promise," said Neville, meaning every word "but if we do get separated again, just know that I love you and I will find you after all this craziness; I will reach you Luna."

"I will reach you too," said Luna, managing a smile as she repeated the familiar words that she and Neville had said to each other so much in the past "we'll be OK, I can feel it."

Luna and Neville embraced quickly once again before running off through the piles of debris, determined to not let go of each other's hands unless it was necessary to do so. Soon they reached the Entrance Hall and were caught up in the rush to get outside as quickly as possible. In the melee Neville's grip on Luna's hand was lost as people shoved and pushed them in a rush to get to the courtyard as quickly as possible, knowing that the end of the Battle was near. Neville looked for Luna as he felt her hand fall from his, spotting her almost instantaneously; she looked terrified; her big grey eyes were full of tears again and she looked like her whole world had been ripped apart.

"Luna!" roared Neville, trying to fight his way back to her without success "stay safe!"

To his relief Luna seemed to realise that they couldn't get back to each other at that moment in time and simply mouthed a quick 'I love you' before blowing Neville a kiss, two gestures that he returned without hesitation before he was shepherded towards the crowd in the courtyard; taking his rightful place as the leader of the revolution and Dumbledore's Army; glad to see that Luna was somewhere near the back of the crowd, away from immediate danger at least.

It was then that Neville heard the horrific grief-stricken screams of Hermione, Ginny and Professor McGonagall, which forced him to look up, hating the sight he saw in front of him; Harry Potter, apparently dead in Hagrid's arms, and Voldemort and his motley crew of Death Eaters walking triumphant towards the school, glee evident on all of their faces.

"Harry Potter is dead!" shouted Voldemort, unable to contain his sheer joy at this apparent fact "from this day forth, you put your faith in me, and now is the time to declare yourself, come forward, or die."

Neville felt his feet moving of their own accord all of a sudden, and soon he was a few steps ahead of the crowd of students and staff behind him, all of whom gasped in shock. Neville did not take his eyes off Voldemort as he stepped forward, feeling anger rise inside him, whilst an intense loyalty to Harry and Hogwarts also became evident in his heart. Neville spotted the ancient Sorting Hat on the ground in front of him and couldn't believe that through all of the madness, the relic had survived. Neville picked it up, feeling comforted by its presence as it appeared to give him more confidence in the face of the darkest wizard of all time who was currently leering down at him.

"Well I must say I'd hoped for better," sneered Voldemort, while the Death Eaters laughed, an evil smile on the face of Bellatrix Lestrange "and who might you be young man?"

"Neville Longbottom," answered Neville, in a confident voice, which he hoped did not show the fear he was feeling deep down inside himself.

"Well Neville I'm sure we can find a place for you in our ranks," said Voldemort in a mocking tone, while the Death Eaters cackled again.

"I'd like to say something!" said Neville loudly; talking over Voldemort's last few words so that everyone could hear him, much to their shock.

"Well Neville I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say," said Voldemort, in the same voice as before, which made Neville aware he was obviously losing patience.

"It doesn't matter that Harry's gone," Neville began, which caused gasps from everyone around him "people die every day; friends, family, yeah we lost Harry tonight, but he's still with us, in here."

Neville pointed to his heart and was struck by the silence which surrounded him; everyone on both sides was apparently waiting with baited breath to hear what he had to say. Neville made eye contact with Luna and gave her a gentle smile; she smiled back at him and he was glad to see that she knew he planned to come back to her and had no plans to join Voldemort whatsoever; he was just going to help Harry defeat Voldemort, he just didn't know how yet.

"So are Fred, Remus, Tonks; all of them," Neville continued in a sombre voice, before his voice began to rise as he addressed Voldemort again "they didn't die in vain; but you will, because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us, for all of us!"

Voldemort was now laughing at Neville, something which made Neville irrationally angry. In the split second where Voldemort was distracted by his own laughter at Neville's speech, Neville spotted the hilt of a sword sticking out of the Sorting Hat. He wondered how it had got in there with no one noticing at first, but then his battle-ready brain took over and saw it as a weapon, a weapon he could use to potentially defeat Voldemort.

"It's not over!" shouted Neville before pulling the sword, which he now recognised as the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat, much to everyone's shock.

The next few seconds seem to happen in slow motion, all while Neville was holding onto the Sword of Godric Gryffindor as if his life depended on it, which let's face it, it probably did. Harry rolled out of Hagrid's arms landing on the floor, alive and well, much to Voldemort's horror, before hitting Nagini, Voldemort's snake with a spell in an attempt to apparently kill her. Harry then ran, herding people inside as he went. Neville followed quickly as Voldemort started to set fire to the bits of Hogwarts that were still standing in an attempt to kill Harry. Neville ran towards the castle, horrified to see that Luna had not yet moved and seemed to be rooted to the spot.

"Luna!" he yelled in fear.

In a few huge strides, Neville had covered the distance between himself and Luna, grabbing her arm and pulling her along with him. All of a sudden Neville heard someone shout his name and before he knew what was happening he was thrown backwards by a spell of some kind. As he was thrown backwards, Neville still had hold of Luna, so she was pulled backwards with him as well; meaning that Neville had to act quickly to protect her from serious injury. Neville wrapped his arms around Luna and was relieved when she landed on top of him as he smacked hard into the concrete, the wind knocked out of him.

"Neville!" sobbed Luna, as she lay on top of him and Neville struggled to catch his breath for a second.

"Well," said Neville, his voice slightly strained as he still tried to get his breath back "I've dreamt of you being on top of me Luna, but never was it in the middle of a battlefield; can't say I object though."

Luna chuckled and planted a kiss on Neville's lips, before climbing off him and helping him sit up as she did so. Neville was shocked to find the Sword of Gryffindor still in his hands, but was glad about it; it made him feel safe, like he could take on the world, like he could protect Luna from anything.

"Neville!" shouted Harry over the ruckus "you have to kill the snake! The Sword can kill the snake; I'm going after Voldemort!"

With that Harry gave Ginny one final kiss before running off towards Voldemort, to hold him off while Neville, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna tried to kill Nagini. The five friends made the decision to go in different directions; Ron, Hermione and Ginny had a Basilisk fang which would kill the snake and Neville and Luna were armed with the Sword of Gryffindor. Neville and Luna ran together through the hordes of students, not saying anything to each other, but not letting go of each other's hand at the same time. Neville could hear the fierce battle between Harry and Voldemort outside and he knew it was key that they killed the snake as soon as possible; Harry couldn't hold out forever. As if Nagini had read his mind, Neville and Luna were suddenly face to face with the evil, venomous snake itself. Luna backed away, obviously spooked, and Neville made sure to keep her close to him as much as he possibly could. Neville noticed Ron, Hermione and Ginny behind the snake with the Basilisk fang raised, ready to strike, but suddenly they moved a piece of rubble, attracting the snake's attention, and the Basilisk fang fell out of Hermione's hands and all of their reaches. Nagini turned on them, seeing them as the newest and most dangerous threat, but soon, Ron threw a curse towards the snake which sent it flying into the air and meant that it flipped and turned around until it was once again facing Neville and Luna. Neville watched the snake and noticed that she had spotted Luna first and was making her way towards the now trembling and terrified Ravenclaw, who looked up at Neville with huge, pleading eyes as she tripped and fell on a piece of rubble, losing her grip on the wand she had commandeered from Fenrir Greyback after Neville had incapacitated him.

"No!" growled Neville, in nothing more than a whisper "not my girlfriend."

Neville crept up behind the snake, who had now advanced on Luna, ready to pounce; he knew how important timing would be in killing the snake and he knew he had to make sure Nagini was dead as well. As Nagini rose up to pounce onto Luna, who screamed, Neville whipped the Sword of Gryffindor through the air, with all the strength he had and sliced the snake in two, yelling with the force of the impact as he did so. The snake exploded around Neville who was now breathing heavily, his hands on his knees and tears in his eyes all of a sudden. Neville stood up, still breathing hard as he heard Voldemort yell, knowing he was close to death, knowing that Harry was close to victory. As he stood up Neville was nearly knocked off his feet by a small girl, who had a mane of blonde hair and who threw herself at him for not the first time that night.

"Luna!" breathed Neville as he caught her in his arms and breathed in her vanilla scented shampoo "I will always reach you, you know that right?"

"I've always known it," said Luna smiling "it's all I've ever believed in. I love you Neville."

"I love you too," said Neville grinning "now shall we go and watch Harry win this thing?"

Luna nodded and together she and Neville ran out of the school, overtaken only by Ginny, Hermione and Ron, the last of whom stopped to slap Neville on the back in a congratulatory gesture for his heroics. Soon everyone who was left, who had survived the Battle was outside in the courtyard again, but this time it looked markedly different; Harry stood over Voldemort, his wand raised, meanwhile Voldemort looked mortal, that was the only way he could be described. Both of the wizards were locked in a fierce battle however, and Neville made sure to keep his arm around Luna, just in case they needed to make a quick escape. Harry and Voldemort's spells connected in a line of bright red and green light, both of them using their entire strength to keep the duel going and also to not give the other any leeway or advantage. Soon however Voldemort began to weaken and the red which symbolised Harry's spell seemed to be increasing, while the green of Voldemort's spell was decreasing. Neville, Luna and all the other survivors watched enraptured, as soon enough Harry won the duel and Voldemort's wand fell from his hand to the floor. Voldemort and Harry both crawled towards the wand as quickly as they could, knowing that the person who reached it first would be the ultimate victor of the War. Harry reached the wand a millisecond before Voldemort did and shot a spell towards the defenceless Dark Wizard, watching with a great sense of satisfaction as Voldemort disintegrated before his eyes and his terrified Death Eaters Disapparated as quickly as they had appeared earlier; the Battle was over, Harry had won.

There was a sudden rush of cheering as everyone bombarded Harry, the hero of the war. Harry was soon hoisted onto the shoulders of his many admirers, along with Hermione, Ron and Ginny, before they were carried back into Hogwarts. This left Neville and Luna, stood together in the now deserted courtyard, both chuckling slightly as their friends were carried away, despite their protests.

"I'm glad they didn't carry you away Neville," said Luna dreamily "I wouldn't have wanted to be on my own after everything that's happened and I think they might have forgotten about me."

"I wouldn't have let them forget about you," said Neville smiling slightly, pulling Luna against him "I'm not a hero anyway."

"You're my hero," said Luna simply, her eyes not leaving Neville's as she grasped his hands with her own "you came looking for me when no one else did, you remembered me when no one else would have done, you saved me."

"I always said I'd protect you," said Neville, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Luna's ears "I keep my promises; speaking of which, I meant what I said, I will marry you if you'll have me."

"You want to marry me?" asked Luna, looking shocked as her eyes opened wider than Neville had ever seen them "but…why? I'm just me, I'm just Luna; I'm a weird person that no one else wants to be around, I'm a loner, I'm worthless Neville, I can't see why anyone would want to marry me, least of all you, who could have anyone you wanted."

"Luna," said Neville, slightly saddened by what his girlfriend had said "you're amazing, please don't ever forget that, come on, come and sit down."

Neville put his arm around Luna and slowly led her over to a rather large piece of rubble, which they both perched on, their fingers entwined. Neville regarded Luna carefully, watching her expression as her eyes seemed to lose some of the sparkle they usually held, which Neville thought may have had something to do with what happened to her during the Battle.

"Luna?" he asked kindly "talk to me."

"It's just Greyback," said Luna in a hollow voice, after a long silence between her and Neville "I've never felt that scared, that worthless, that helpless."

"Luna listen to me," said Neville in a firm voice as he drew her closer to him "I know how much you're hurting, I'm going to be here to help you every single day. I'm about to tell you something that I'll tell you every single day until that sparkle comes back in those beautiful eyes, and even after then. Luna you are not worthless, you are worth the world and more, you mean everything to me, you always have, you can always make me laugh and smile no matter what mood I'm in because you know exactly what to say and I know I've made you laugh and smile in the past as well, and I intend to make you happy in every way I can. If someone ever makes you feel like Greyback did, like the people who are stupid enough to call you 'Loony' have, don't listen to them, because you are good enough, more than good enough, you're the best person in the world, you're my best friend, my girlfriend and the one I want to spend forever and beyond with. You deserve to be happy, truly happy and I will do anything I can to make you happy every single day, forever, just because your smile is the best thing in the world. At the same time though you're allowed to be sad, don't ever forget that, I'll be here through every tear, every time you need to shout I'll be ready with a hug and anything else you might need. Luna, please know you are good enough, I adore you, I love you, because you're you, you're beautiful, unique, amazing, just wonderful and there's no one else you ever need to be for me. I love you."

"No one has ever said anything like that to me before," said Luna, regarding a smiling Neville with huge orb-like eyes "thank you Neville, although I don't know how to respond to that beyond saying I love you too, with everything I have."

"You don't have to respond," said Neville, returning Luna's hug as she jumped into his arms once again "I'm just glad I've got you, just glad you're Luna."

"I'm glad you're Neville," said Luna, smiling as Neville chuckled "like I said, no one else would have thought about me, it's only you that would have done, it's always been only you for as long as I've known you."

Luna and Neville were now incredibly close in physical proximity, so much so that Neville could smell Luna's vanilla scented perfume and Luna could smell the hints of Neville's aftershave. Neville was the one to make the first move and he quickly closed the gap between his and Luna's lips, connecting them before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her even closer into his embrace. Luna soon relaxed into the kiss, smiling slightly along with Neville before the kiss was deepened and their tongues battled for dominance while their hands found their way into each other's hair. Neville wrapped his free arm around Luna's waist and Luna rested her free hand on Neville's bicep, while they both lost themselves in the kiss, in their own little world and in their love for each other, forgetting about the ever present spectre of death around them, even if it was just for a while. When the need for oxygen became too much, Neville and Luna parted their lips, their now open eyes locked on each other as they both smiled, slightly shyly.

"I could get used to that," said Luna in a dreamy voice.

"So could I," said Neville smiling as he tucked a lock of Luna's hair behind her ear "I want you in my life forever Luna, I always promised I would reach you and now I've got you I'm never going to let you go."

"We've survived a war, Neville," said Luna, grasping his hand "if that can't tear us apart then nothing will."

"I love you Luna," said Neville, hugging his girlfriend to him yet again, realising he would never get tired of this feeling.

"I love you too," said Luna smiling as she returned Neville's embrace "now shall we go back inside and see whether we can help with anything?"

"I think that's a good idea," said Neville, helping Luna to her feet "just one more thing though, do you fancy going for a Butterbeer tonight?"

"I'd love to," said Luna, allowing Neville to pull her closer to him again as they walked towards Hogwarts.

With that Neville and Luna walked towards Hogwarts together, hand in hand, their love the strongest thing they had to depend on, both glad to have survived the hardest time of their lives. As Neville and Luna walked back into the castle, glad to be with each other, the only thing they could focus on was the fact they had both discovered their love for each other and they were going to do everything they could to make their relationship work.

"You know I'll always be here don't you?" said Luna, resting her head against Neville's chest as they walked together

"Of course, and you know I will be too," said Neville, kissing the top of Luna's head "always and forever."

"Always and forever," echoed Luna happily.

* * *

**_Two Years Later_**

It was a bright summer's day in the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sun beat down on the small, secluded area on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where Neville Longbottom stood awaiting the arrival of his bride, Luna Lovegood. Neville could not believe that the day he was going to marry the love of his life had finally come; it seemed like he had been waiting for it forever, since he first met Luna perhaps, on the Hogwarts express in her fourth year and his fifth year. Neville knew he should be nervous, everyone had told him this, but he wasn't nervous in the slightest; this was what Neville had wanted for what felt like a lifetime, and he knew he was making the right decision in marrying Luna Lovegood. Neville remembered when Harry and Ron had got married to Ginny and Hermione respectively; this had happened pretty much straight after the War, in a massive double wedding, which seemed to have the entirety of the Wizarding World as its guests, it had all been too much for Neville and Luna, who were only just discovering their relationship at that time, and they had ended up feeling a little bit lost in a sea of people. It was then that they promised to each other that if they got married their wedding would be small and would be exactly what they wanted and nothing else, which was another reason as to why Neville thought he didn't feel at all nervous.

Neville glanced around him, around the Hogwarts grounds, which only a couple of years before had been left in ruins, but now looked completely different, just like they had done the first time he had arrived at the mystical castle. The place Neville and Luna had opted to get married was the secluded area by the Forbidden Forest, where Neville and Luna had first discovered their friendship while feeding the Thestrals, a common bond developing between them as they were two of only a few people who could see them. Neville smiled as he glanced around at the grounds which were basked in sunlight, happy to see that a few Thestrals were peeping out from behind the trees; Neville knew their presence would make Luna happy, she loved all animals. Both Neville and Luna loved nature, any aspect of it, so Neville was glad they were having an outdoor wedding, with a marquee for later on in the evening, it fitted both of their personalities perfectly, and Hogwarts was the logical place to have it as they had met here, fallen in love here and spent their lives here, given that they were both Professors here as well; Neville a Professor of Herbology and Luna of Care of Magical Creatures.

Neville sighed happily as he fixed his tie, a yellow colour to match the yellow flowers that were decorating the white chairs and which were dotted around the venue haphazardly. The colour scheme had been Luna's choice, but Neville loved it, it was so _her_, it wasn't something anyone else would have picked and that's what made it so fantastic; it was unique to both of them. Yellow to Neville simply symbolised Luna and how she was, and always had been like a candle in his life, the light in the darkest of times. Once again, not for the first time that day, Neville's thoughts drifted back to when he had first told Luna he loved her, the four words they always said to each other resonated through his mind once again _'I will reach you'_. It had always been the same, nothing had changed over time, Neville was still there for Luna whenever she needed him and Luna was there for Neville in the same capacity; they complimented each other, they always had; where Luna floated through life, Neville was enough to keep her steady and slightly grounded in times where seriousness was needed, but then Luna was Neville's escape from the real world whenever he needed it, her dreamy voice was enough to always make him smile, even in times of the deepest sadness.

Then, in quick succession Neville's mind played a series of memories of his and Luna's relationship, each of which brought a huge smile to his face as he realised they would be making more memories like this for the rest of their lives together. First came their first date to Hogsmeade the day after the Battle of Hogwarts, they had talked for hours about everything, until the Three Broomsticks had closed, and even then, they continued to talk as they walked back to Hogwarts and lay in the grass gazing at the stars. Neville told Luna everything he held in his heart and she did the same for him, neither judging the other no matter what was said; it was then that Neville knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Luna, he knew it was fast, but he couldn't deny his heart, he just had to bide his time and wait for the right time to propose.

Next came the first time they spent the night together; they had not left each other's side as much as possible and soon they were back in Hogwarts, Neville repeating his seventh year and Luna doing hers for the first time. They had both been told by Professor McGonagall that Hagrid and Professor Sprout were retiring at the end of this year and that the teachers had specifically recommended the two of them to take over in their posts; Neville and Luna had not hesitated in accepting and had thrown themselves into their studies in attempts to get an 'Outstanding' grade in their NEWTS so they could take on the Professorships as soon as possible, which of course they did. As a result of the fact they had accepted their positions they were given their own private quarters in the castle so they could get used to living together and so they knew where they would be living when they started their jobs. In the November of their seventh year it was particularly cold and the first snow of the winter had fallen early. Luna could not resist going outside in it so Neville had followed, suggesting they walked to Hogsmeade. They had walked together, laughing in the snow and had gone for a warming Butterbeer before walking back. While walking back, Luna had suggested they make snow angels in the surprisingly thick layer of snow. Neville had of course agreed and he and Luna had ended up in the snow together, making angels, kissing, talking to each other and eventually realising their own desires, which made them rush back to their own quarters. Neville remembered with a fond smile the nervousness they had both felt at first, but this had soon subsided into a perfect harmony of kisses as their bodies entwined. They had slept in the same bed together before but as of yet they had never gone further than passionate heated kissing and a bit of exploring, so to go all the way was a big step for both of them, as they were each other's first; but they both knew that this was what they wanted. Once they had got over their nervousness, the whole experience was magical for both of them, characterised by feather-light touches, soft, love-filled kisses and gentle movements. Both of the lovers had sighed in pleasure multiple times and had also whispered each other's names as they reached the ultimate high, something which still happened even today, and the memory of this made Neville smile a goofy grin as he remembered seeing Luna's beautiful body and hearing the amazing sounds she made for the very first time.

Then came the memory of when they had officially got their jobs as Professors at Hogwarts; they had both been so happy and Neville had taken Luna out on a huge, romantic date to celebrate, something they hadn't had much time to do during their NEWTS. Neville remembered that night like it was yesterday; he had been carrying the ring in his pocket all night, so nervous to propose to Luna. Neville had proposed in this very spot, with a golden ring, with a diamond at its centre, surrounded by tiny sapphires and rubies. The first time Neville had seen the ring, he knew it was perfect to symbolise his and Luna's relationship and he had brought it on the spot then and there. Neville realised as he smiled that it was exactly a year to the day he had proposed, it couldn't have been more perfect, Luna had planned the entire wedding and Neville smiled when he realised the small thing like the date, which would mean nothing to anyone else, but meant everything to him and Luna and would do for the rest of their lives. Neville remembered his proposal, he and Luna had been sitting in the moonlight under the tree where he now stood and Neville had pulled out the ring box before kneeling in front of Luna. Neville remembered how her eyes had filled with joyful tears as he told Luna she was beautiful, amazing and the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Luna had jumped into his arms and of course accepted, before, Neville remembered with fondness, they had rushed back to their living quarters and made love once again.

Neville was brought back to reality as Harry, his best man, clapped him on the back, smiling hugely at him. Harry had always known Neville and Luna were going to end up together and he couldn't be happier for the pair of them; he was glad they had taken the time to secure their jobs and their relationship and he had been honoured when Neville had asked him to be his best man.

"You nervous Neville?" asked Harry.

"Course not," said Neville smiling as he fixed the yellow flower onto the button hole of his black jacket "Luna is the only person I've ever wanted, I've waited for this day ever since I first met her."

Neville's thoughts of Luna were suddenly interrupted by a slow, tinkling melody, unlike any other bridal entrance music he had ever heard before, which of course symbolised the beginning of Luna's entrance into the ceremony. Neville couldn't help but smile a goofy grin as everyone turned, waiting to see Luna, and think that the music was simply so _Luna; _dreamy and floating just like her. Then Neville saw her. Neville saw Luna Lovegood, his bride, and he had to stop his jaw from hitting the floor as he regarded her in all her beauty. She seemed to float down the aisle towards him, guided by her eccentric father Xenophilius Lovegood, who was dressed in every shade of yellow possible, but still looked slightly worn down in the aftermath of the War which he had never quite recovered from. Neville's eyes however, were focused only on Luna who looked like an angel in her white dress which she had designed and made herself. Luna's dress fell to the floor in glorious ruffles of silk which cascaded out from her tiny waist perfectly, the crisp whiteness of the dress broken occasionally by little yellow diamantes, in-keeping with the colour scheme. The top half of Luna's dress was plain, but was covered by lace, which was shaped almost to look like a cardigan, Neville noted. The lace covered her shoulders and arms, decorated again with the yellow jewels, and rested effortlessly on her frame, fixed together at the bottom, allowing a little amount of the original white silky material of her dress to peek through. Luna was wearing sunflower earrings and a golden necklace with a tiny sunflower on it. Her hair was decorated with a single sunflower on the left hand side of her head and Neville smiled as he saw the simplicity of this; the sun and the moon finally together, the two sources of light he always depended on personified in Luna, his beautiful bride. In her hands Luna clutched a small bouquet of yellow flowers, the biggest one of which was yet another sunflower. As Luna walked forward the sun reflected behind her, making it seem as if she was shrouded in a halo of light, like the angel Neville already knew she was.

Soon Luna reached Neville and he smiled at her as he shook Xenophilius Lovegood's hand, noting that Luna's father looked positively delighted to be giving his daughter away at her wedding to the man that had been her personal hero of the Second Wizarding War. After Neville shook Xenophilius' hand, Luna placed her hands in Neville's, smiling hugely as she did so.

"Look after my Luna, Neville," said Xenophilius in a quiet voice "just like you've done in the past."

"I will Mr Lovegood," said Neville, not breaking eye contact with Luna.

With Neville's sincere words as confirmation that his daughter would be cared for, Xenophilius Lovegood walked to his seat, which Neville was happy to see was right next to his parents, who had been granted day release from St. Mungos to attend his wedding. Although Neville knew his parents did not really know where they were, or what was going on, it was still a comfort for him to have them there, their faces smiling with the innocence of children. On the other side of Luna's father sat Neville's grandmother Augusta Longbottom, who despite Neville's initial fears, had taken to Luna straight away, and could not be happier that her grandson was getting married to the girl who stood in front of him. Neville quickly glanced at his grandmother to notice that she was already crying, she always did that at weddings, before he turned back to Luna.

"You look stunningly beautiful," he said to her quietly, before the priest silenced everyone, loving the slight blush that grazed her cheeks.

The ceremony passed in a blur for both Neville and Luna; they said the vows but they were still lost in their own little world, the only thing they saw was each other, not really aware of their surroundings until the priest declared them man and wife and said to Neville that he could now kiss Luna, which Neville had been longing to do all day.

"I love you Luna Longbottom," whispered Neville, unable to keep the goofy grin from his face as he said her name.

"I love you too Neville Longbottom," breathed Luna as her lips met his.

Luna and Neville lost themselves in their first kiss as husband and wife and it took the catcalls of some of their guests to break the apart. As they broke apart Neville gazed into Luna's eyes, knowing that he was always going to see those eyes for the rest of his life; a simple fact which made his happier than he could ever imagine. Luna did not take her eyes off Neville as she laced her fingers with his own, planting another chaste kiss on his lips much to his surprise, before they both turned, facing their applauding friends and family and walked down the aisle. As Neville glanced at his parents he was heartened to see that they were applauding too, so much so that he eyes filled with tears, even though he knew that they were just following whether everyone else was doing, it still meant the world to him.

The next part of the day was the meal and speeches; Neville remembered having stood up and speaking about Luna whilst she blushed beside him. Neville was never nervous when he was around Luna, and he thought that was one of the reasons why he loved her so much; she brought out the best in him. After the formalities came Neville and Luna's first dance. Neville swept Luna around the dance floor effortlessly, smiling as she giggled in his arms to some Muggle song which she had found, which in Neville's opinion perfectly summed up their relationship.

The song ended with two lines, which to Neville was perfect as it symbolised to Luna that he would always be there for her, and also that she would always be there for him. Soon Neville and Luna were joined on the dance floor by their friends and family, but they just stayed lost in each other's eyes, in their own world, knowing that the promise of those four words; _'I will reach you'_ would always symbolise their relationship and their marriage to each other forever-more.

* * *

**So what did you think? I enjoyed writing this a lot, I think it fits Neville and Luna quite well. I'm working on more stories for these two and they should be posted soon so let me know what you thought, I really appreciate feedback.**


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